1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a process for producing iron briquettes and/or cold iron sponge, in which charge materials which contain lumpy material containing iron oxide are introduced into the reduction zone of a reduction reactor, then a hot reduction gas flows through the charge materials, which are reduced to hot iron sponge which passes through a gas feed zone, which is downstream of the reduction zone and in which reduction gas is introduced into the reduction reactor, which gas, after it has flowed through the reduction zone, is extracted from the reduction reactor as a top gas, in which process to produce cold iron sponge, hot iron sponge is cooled in a cooling zone downstream of the gas feed zone as a result of cooling gas being passed through it and is discharged from the shaft furnace in a product-discharge zone downstream of the cooling zone. The invention also relates to an installation for carrying out the process.
2. Brief Discussion of the Related Art
Numerous processes for producing iron sponge are known from the prior art, and corresponding installations are commercially available. Processes for producing iron briquettes, and corresponding installations, are also known.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,748, 120 has disclosed a process and a device for reducing iron oxide to form metallic iron. In this process, iron oxide is reduced to form iron sponge in a direct reduction reactor, by reduction gas being passed through, and the iron sponge is cooled by cooling gas being passed through and is discharged from the reduction reactor.